how to use louisa county's gis web site

How To Use Louisa County’s GIS Web Site

1

Open web page: http://beacon.schneidercorp.com

Click: Enter the Site

In top box select Iowa and next box select Louisa County, IA

If you check: Make Default next time you open it on your pc it will come up to Louisa County. If

you may want to look at some other counties on the list don’t check the box.

Then click: Enter

http://beacon.schneidercorp.com/


2

This screen comes up. Enter a name (last name coma space first name – ex: Jones, David) (does

not have to be capital letters)

Or enter address 1917 S Ave

Or enter in Advance Address Search – house number, street (drop down box), city

Or enter the parcel number (this number is on the tax receipt the Treasurer’s office sends you)

Then click search

If there is more than one parcel with the name, a list will come up.

Click on the parcel number of the one you want.


3

Deed or Contract book & page. Below that in blue is the Recorder’s web site,

www.iowalandrecords.org. If you want to see the Recorders indexing and a copy of the

document you can click there. You have to setup an account to do that and it is at no cost. You

have to have an email address to receive your password.

Scrolling down you can see Improvement and Sales history.


4

Scrolling down more you can see Valuation and Taxation and tax history


5

Scrolling down more, you can see photo, sketch of the dwelling and tax sale info.

Go back to top of screen

Go back to the top of the screen

If you click on the MAP tab, in upper left hand corner, it takes you to the map of the parcel

you are on. See the highlighted parcel below. It may be zoomed in more than you want it to be, just

carefully move the bar on the zoom tree down very slowly. By checking more boxes on the left

side, you can see more info. The Orthophotography is automatically turned on. Check the box in

front of any other layers you want to see.


6

The Legend is located on the left side of the map.

If you want more information, you may need to check the box in front of

the item. Example: Blocks, lots, addresses (911) or Orthophotography or

parcel deed holder. This will refresh the map and show you what you have

checked.

Click in box before: Map tip hover mode (upper right corner of map)

The zoom bar has been added. Move it slowly up or down to change the size of the property.

This is only one way to change the size of the property you are looking at.


7

If you want to see more click on full screen click on toggle map size. See below for full screen.

To go back to screen with left side options click: toggle map size button again.

Click on push pin to leave info on the screen, then you can click on other parcels and get

info on them, also. When you want the pin boxes gone, click the X.


8

Show Map Tips

If you don’t want this box to come up when on parcel, uncheck: Show Map Tips (the default is

not checked)

If this is what you want to print. Click on the print button.

This will take you to another screen. You need to have Adobe Reader for this.


9

Some of the parcel info is put below the picture. If this is what you want click on the print button.

You can save this by clicking File, then Save and name the file.

X out (upper right corner) and you are back at the web site.

To navigate the map use the keys in these rows

When you are on the map and click here and click on a parcel on the map,

this will take you to the screen with parcel info on that parcel.


10

When clicking the Select tool, this opens 4 select options. 1. Select by click/rectangle.

2. Select by Polygon. 3. Select by line. 4. Select by freehand drawing.

1 2 3 4

When you click here it opens more icons all for zooming. When you are on the map

and click here, then go to the map and draw a square around where you would like to

zoom in or out.

When you are on the map and click here, then go to the map and click on the map this

will zoom out.

When you are on the map and click here, it will take you to the map of whole county.

Zoom to selected feature


11

When you are on the map and click here, it will take you back to the previous area

you were at.

Zoom next, if zoomed back, clicking here will take you back to screen before the one

you are on.

Pan button. When you are on the map and click here, and click on the map, holding

down the left mouse button and hold down, you can move the map over, up, down,

etc.

If you draw a circle or have a parcel selected and want to do something else, click on

this button to erase what is highlighted on the map.

Spatial selection. When you are on the map and click here, you can enter a figure

(ex: 100)(feet) and click to buffer button and it will draw a 100 foot circle around the

parcel or parcels you had selected.

enter feet, then Buffer


12

When you are on the map and click here, you can measure. A + appears, put it on the

corner where you want to start and then move to where you want to end or a corner,

keep doing this until you get back to where you started, then double click and the

measurements info appear in the map and it tell you feet and acres.

You can change the length and area options, click on the down arrow to select, then draw around

area you want.


13

Zoom XY – When you click on this box it comes up with box to put in the X and Y

coordinates. Then click zoom to go there.

Map Markup tool. This brings up more options.

1. Edit Markup Tool, 2. Draw Polygon, 3. Draw line, 4. Draw freehand line,

5. Draw point/marker, 6. Add label, 7. Copy features from selection,

8. Delete select markup, 9. Clear all markup.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9


14

Click color, label text if needed, click on map a circle appears, then draw line, double click at

end of line to stop line.


15

Select Draw freehand or draw polygon (square), click on color to change it, type in label test and

click on map and draw around area you want.

You can bring up your parcel and draw on new dwelling, garage, shed. Text will label it. You

can click on delete selected part highlighted or click on eraser to remove all.

When you are on the map and click her, it will resize the map. This makes the map area

the whole screen, takes off the info on left and right.

This button is the printer setup button. If you want to add or remove info before printing

(ex: title, header, add name, etc.


16

To set the scale, go to print options.

This is the scale of the map. If you click

on the down arrow you can select a

different scale.

Then click Update to update the map.

Then Print.

This is the print button. Click here when you are ready to print a map. This will take

you to another screen. From there you can print or save the map.


17

When you are on the info screen and want to compare your property with other like properties,

click on the Comp Search button.

Check some of the boxes to get comparable properties, if you check too much it may not find

anything to compare with. You may have to enter years, dollar amounts etc. See below.


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Then click the Search button at bottom left of screen.

Results

If this is not enough to compare with, go back on Comp Search and check less boxes.

If it can’t find anything that matches, this box will come up.

Go back and change the selection.


19

To get a Soil Report, the parcel has to be classed as Ag

The Class is here If Ag click on the Soil Report button.

Click on the print button (it is under the Map button) to print the Soil Report.


20

Click on word Legend (next to Layer list) to see the Legend. See the purple line on the map,

then look at the legend – it is the corporate limits. The more boxes on the left you check, the

more in the legend box.

how to use louisa county's gis web site

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